Psalms 37 is probably on everyone’s fav list, and it is a powerful piece of wisdom and instruction. The psalmist, King David, writes in verse one “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.” The word “fret” conveys vexation and an incensed anger. It is a heated response of displeasure and annoyance. Many believe that David wrote this psalm as an encouragement to the Children of Israel. He didn’t want them to be sidetracked in their allegiance to God by being angry at the prosperity of evildoers. He warned them not to become indignant over the advancement of the wicked. This is tremendous instruction for us today. Some believers are angered by what they see happening in the world. When this anger is coupled with feelings of disappointment over our own lives, its a recipe that serves up an ample dose of doubt. If we’re going to get to that glorious place that God has intended for each of us to reach, doubt is the one thing we simply cannot afford to indulge.
Genesis 1:26(NKJV) tells us, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” This verse outlines God’s original intention for human beings. His Will is that we have dominion and authority in our own lives, and that we have a very fulfilling and satisfying existence. It shouldn’t be lost on us that this is precisely the quality of God’s existence. He is the Creator of all that exists and there isn’t anything that He can’t do. So, He’s a very happy God, and as His children, He wants us to be that way too.
Our happiness and well-being are included in God’s plan, but we know from Genesis 3 that Adam and his wife, Eve, didn’t follow along. They chose to take the word of satan over the Word of God. By doing this, they bowed to the devil and lost their connection to our Heavenly Father, as well as all the other blessings of dominion and authority that came with it. In a nutshell, when Adam bowed to satan, the dominion and authority that God gave Adam was then transferred to the adversary. This was a catastrophic mistake, and it led to Adam’s and Eve’s fall.
So, the world that you and I live in belongs to God, but it is under the dominion and influence of the adversary. Again, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they forfeited the supreme brand of dominion and authority that God had given to them. In the spiritual realm, they chose to leave the blessed territory of God’s holiness and bliss. Because of their disobedience against our Heavenly Father, they became prisoners in satan’s kingdom. By this, we learn that disobedience against God will always bring a person in direct contact with the realm of death and darkness, because disobedience against God is the function of satan’s territory.
All that Adam and Eve were, and everything that belonged to them, was transferred to the realm of satan because they rejected God’s sovereignty and refused to believe His Word. God sent our precious Lord and Savior to the earth to purchase back what Adam lost. Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin against God with his life when he was sacrificed on the cross. He bought back our standing and now we are friends with God. Colossians 1:13 (NLT) tells us that God “has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.” So, the critical question that you and I must ask ourselves is why, after our standing of righteousness has been purchased with such a high price, would we ever go back to a territory that is so far beneath us.
Understand that the adversary knows how to entice and trick us, but the sons and daughters of God should be way passed the urges to give into little tit-for-tat spats with others. We should be mature enough to realize that the enemy uses situations and people to go for the jugular. Job 1:7(NLT) tells us about an answer to a question that will give us insight into what the devil does. This verse says, “Where have you come from?” the LORD asked Satan. Satan answered the LORD, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” We would be remised in our diligence and knowledge of God’s Word if we failed to understand that the enemy has studied us and continues to do so. As wise believers, we must know that the enemy aims to pack a one-two punch that is designed to separate us from our faith in God. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we can outsmart these tricks, and we should.
We must not allow anyone or anything to cause us to doubt the power of God or His willingness and ability to demonstrate His power on our behalves. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing because of our union with Christ. We know that His Word and promises are true, and if He has told us that He’s blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings, then we can know beyond knowing that this is true. But it is also true that every Christian that is blessed to this degree will not walk in that blessing. They will not believe God this big, but we should not allow this to be said of us.
God wants us to know the truth so that our faith in Him is where it needs to be. You may be angry that those who cause the most harm seem to prosper the most. You may be going through a very difficult time, and someone may be causing devastating disappointment and grief in your life. Don’t allow tribulation, trouble, or anger to cause you to doubt what God is doing in your life. Don’t allow the enemy to trick you out of what God has in store for you. Praise God that you and I have been empowered through Jesus Christ to rise up as more than conquerors against any plot against us. 1John 5:4(NLT) tells us, “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” You must believe this. Heavenly Father is working in your heart and mind, so keep them open to Him by focusing on His goodness, not on those who do evil. Meet God in that place of faith! Love Him even in your trouble, and trust that He is helping you to grow. He wants you to trust in the wonderful plan He has for your life, and to also trust that He is preparing you for it.■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Don’t Doubt What God is Doing in Your Life” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.